With so much marketing going online in the aftermath of the pandemic, your nonprofit story needs to be even more potent than ever. We invited Jerri Rosen, founder and CEO of Working Wardrobes, and Katie Wagner, President and CEO of KWSM, a digital marketing agency, to talk about the key elements of an effective story to energize your donors and many other supporters needed to run a successful Read More
SPACs, Dogecoin, Meme Stocks: The Dangers of Social Media Investment Sensations
My middle school daughter assured me a boxslide on skis was a piece of cake. After all, she’d watched the pros do it effortlessly on YouTube. As we stood atop the snow park run, I convinced myself I had what it took to “stomp” the trick, having skied for over four decades. No matter that I’d never tried anything like this before. Or that I was super tentative approaching the box (I’m leaning so far back!). Or that I Read More
The Financial and Social Impact of the Un-Housed
Guest Blog for Fairlight’s Nonprofit Insights Series When I began volunteering with the Downtown Streets Team (DST) during the Bay Area Fall lockdown, I initially thought I would be engaging with homeless people on the streets of Berkeley and Oakland. While I have seen homeless people in San Francisco and Oakland over the years and occasionally handed out food, I did not understand the financial, social and Read More
Recruiting for Resilience with Sally Carlson
With things looking like the economy might turn a corner, effective nonprofit hiring and recruiting has come into greater focus. Sally Carlson, Managing Partner of Carlson Beck LLC, who spoke at the Social Impact Advisory/Thrive Alliance’s Managing for Resilience Speaker Series, discussed how effective hiring may require us to question our closely held beliefs about what job applicants are a good fit. Sally founded Read More
Social Impact Advisory: HR Considerations for Nonprofit Leaders
Each month, our Social Impact Advisory Group (SIAG) meets to share knowledge with like-minded professionals, educate board members and nonprofit leaders and partner to strengthen the sector. Click here for a copy of the presentation and here for a copy of the Return to Work Tips for Employers. Read on for a synopsis of what was discussed. On April 8th, we heard from two Human Resources Industry veterans on the Read More
Predicting Nonprofit Financial Resilience
They were flying the Cessna outside of Fairbanks, Alaska, so the story goes. Richard was training for his Instrument Flying Rules (IFR) test, certifying him to fly in poor visibility such as clouds, fog, rain or dust. My father, an experienced recreational pilot and already instrument rated, flew as co-pilot to help his friend prepare. Richard was wearing the standard IFR hood that covered his eyes from the Read More
Allies: 8 Ways You Can Support Women & Minority Businesses
Thoughts on Leadership as March ends. How Allies Can Support Minority Entrepreneurs, Founders, Women and Minority Leaders. Earlier this month, around International Women’s Day, I saw a LinkedIn post that caught my attention. A woman entrepreneur had crossed out “female” in the oft-used phrase “I am a female founder”. The post made its way in my network and I saw comments ranging from “we’re not there yet” to “let us Read More
Choosing Nonprofit Endowment Advisors in Six Steps
Simplifying Advisor Selection Process for Your Endowment When I first started doing nonprofit board work several years ago, I remember receiving advice along the lines of “Remember, your job as a Nonprofit Board Director is to advise. Knowing your boundaries is important for the success of the leadership team and the organization.” The challenge for many nonprofit board members, however, is knowing where those Read More
The Ideal Nonprofit Lifeline: An Unrestricted Restricted Gift
A Development Officer friend of mine called me with a strange request. Could I please help an nonprofit Executive Director decide what to do with a six-figure donation? It’s not often nonprofit leaders don’t know what to do with a large gift. But this gift had a unique restriction. The money must be allocated to an account reserved for emergencies or unplanned incidents, whatever they may be; an unrestricted, Read More
Are There Hidden Fees in Your Nonprofit’s 403b or 401k Retirement Plan?
AARP has done several surveys on fees in 401 k and 403 b retirement plans and has noted that 62% of participants are unaware of the fees inside their retirement plans. Why is that? Because the fees are hidden inside the performance of the fund. You know the saying “the devil is in the details”. This idiom refers to a catch or mysterious element hidden in the details. It might look simple at first glance but has Read More
